Lesson 2: Finding the Main Idea - IELTS Study Guide | Môn Tiếng anh (English) - Đại học Ngoại Thương

lOMoAR cPSD| 58562220 2 FINDING THE MAIN IDEA
There is an art of reading, as well as an art of thinking.
—Isaac Disraeli, British writer (1804–1881) LESSON S UMMARY
A detective finds the facts to determine “whodunit” and what the motive was. A reader determines the facts not
only for their own sake but also to find out why the author is writing: What’s the main idea? This lesson shows you
how to determine the main idea of what you r ead.
hen Lesson 1 talked about establishing the facts— the who, what, when, where, and how— it
omitted one very important question: Why? Now you’re ready to tackle that all- i mportant
Wques tion. Just as there’s a motive behind every crime, there’s also a motive behind every piece of w riting.
All writing is communication. A writer writes to convey his or her thoughts to an audience, the reader:
you. Just as you have something to say (a motive) when you pick up the phone to call someone, writers
have something to say (a motive) when they pick up a pen or pencil to write. Where a detective might ask,
“Why did the butler do it?” the reader might ask, “Why did the author write this? What idea is he or she
trying to convey?” What you’re really asking is, “What is the writer’s main i dea?” lOMoAR cPSD| 58562220 Subject vs. Main I dea
cast over the other sentences. The main idea must be
general enough to hold all of these ideas t ogether.
There’s a difference between the subject of a piece of Thus, the main idea of a passage is writing
and its main idea. To see the difference, look again at the passage about the postal system. Don’t
skip ■ an assertion about the s ubject.
over it! You read it in Lesson 1, but please read it again, ■ the general idea that controls or holds together the
and read it c arefully. paragraph or p assage.
Today’s postal service is more effi cient and reliable Look at the postal service paragraph once more. than
ever before. Mail that used to take months to You know what the subject is: “the post offi ce.” Now, see move
by horse and foot now moves around the if you can determine the main idea. Read the passage country in
days or hours by truck, train, and plane. again and look for the idea that makes an assertion First-class mail
usually moves from New York City about the postal service and holds together or controls to Los Angeles in
three days or less. If your letter or the whole paragraph. Then answer the following package is urgent, the
U.S. Postal Service offers Pri- question:
ority Mail and Express Mail services. Priority Mail is
guaranteed to go anywhere in the United States in
two to three days or less. Express Mail will get your Which of the following sentences best summarizes package there overnight.
the main idea of the p assage?
a. Express Mail is a good way to send urgent
You might be asked on a standardized test, “What mail.
is the main idea of this passage?”
b. Mail service today is more effective and
For this passage, you might be tempted to answer,
dependable than it was in the past. “the post offi ce.”
c. First-class mail usually takes three days or less. But you’d be wrong.
This passage is about the post offi ce, yes—b ut Because choice a is specifi c— it tells us only about “the
post offi ce” is not the main idea of the passage. Express Mail— it cannot be the main idea. It does not “The
post offi ce” is merely the subject of the passage encompass the rest of the sentences in the paragraph— it (who
or what the passage is about). The main idea doesn’t cover Priority Mail or fi rst-class mail. Choice c must say
something about this subject. The main idea is also very specifi c. It tells us only about fi rst class mail, of a
text is usually an assertion about the subject. An so it, too, cannot be the main i dea.
assertion is a statement that requires evidence (“proof”)
But choice b—“Mail service today is more effec- to be accepted as t rue.
tive and dependable than it was in the past”— is general
The main idea of a passage is an assertion about enough to encompass the whole passage. And the rest its
subject, but it is something more: It is the idea that of the sentences support the idea that this sentence also holds
together or controls the passage. The other asserts: Each sentence offers “proof” that the postal sentences and
ideas in the passage will all relate to that service today is indeed more effi cient and reliable. main idea and
serve as “evidence” that the assertion is Thus, the writer aims to tell us about the effi ciency true. You might
think of the main idea as a net that is and reliability of today’s postal service. lOMoAR cPSD| 58562220 28
Finding the main idea is much like fi nding the motive of the crime. It’s the motive of the crime (the why)
that usually determines the other factors (the who, what, when, where, and how). Similarly, in writing, the main
idea also determines the who, what, when, and where the writer will write about, as well as how he or she will
w rite. –FINDING THE MAIN IDEA– lOMoAR cPSD| 58562220
–FINDING THE MAIN IDEA– TIP Practice 1
Which of the following sentences is general enough to
If you are having trouble identifying the main ideas in a be a topic sentence?
story, try asking yourself these questions:
a. The new health club has a great kickboxing
■ What unifying concept is the author striving class. to communicate?
b. Many different classes are offered by the health
■ Is there a moral or lesson that the author is club. trying to teach? ■
c. Pilates is a popular class at the health club.
Are there any reoccurring symbols or
imagery that the author is using to
d. The yoga class is offered on Saturday communicate a deeper meaning? mornings.
The answer is choice b, “Many different classes
are offered by the health club.” Choices a, c, and d are
all specifi c examples of what is said in choice b, so Topic S entences
they are not general enough to be topic sentences.
You’ll notice that in the paragraph about the postal
service, the main idea is expressed clearly in the fi rst Practice 2
sentence: “Today’s postal service is more effi cient
Now look at the following paragraph. Underline the
and reliable than ever before.” A sentence, such as this
sentence that expresses the main idea, and notice how
one, that clearly expresses the main idea of a
the other sentences work to support that main i dea.
paragraph or passage is often called a topic sentence.
In many cases, as in the postal service paragraph,
Erik always played cops and robbers when he was
the topic sentence is at the beginning of the paragraph.
a boy; now, he’s a police offi cer. Suzanne always
You will also frequently fi nd it at the end. Less often,
played school as a little girl; today, she is a high-
but on occasion, the topic sentence may be in the
school math teacher. Kara always played store;
middle of the passage. Whatever the case, the topic s
today, she owns a chain of retail clothing shops.
entence—l ike “Today’s postal service is more effi
Long before they are faced with the question,
cient and reliable than ever before”— is an assertion,
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
and it needs “proof.” The proof is found in the facts
some lucky people know exactly what they want to
and ideas that make up the rest of the passage. (Not all do with their lives.
passages provide such a clear topic sentence that states
the main idea. Less obvious passages will come up in
Which sentence did you underline? You should later l essons.)
have underlined the last sentence: “Long before they
are faced with the question ‘What do you want to be
when you grow up?’ some lucky people know exactly
Practice in Identifying Topic Sentences
Remember that a topic sentence is a clear statement of what they want to do with their lives.” This sentence
the main idea of a passage; it must be general enough is a good topic sentence; it expresses the idea that
to encompass all the ideas in that passage, and it
holds together the whole paragraph. The first three s
usually makes an assertion about the subject of that
entences—a bout Erik, Suzanne, and Kara—a re
passage. Knowing all that, you can answer the specifi c examples of these lucky people. Notice that
following question even without reading a p assage.
the topic sentence is found at the end of the p aragraph. lOMoAR cPSD| 58562220 Practice 3
Here’s how they look as paragraphs:
Among the following eight sentences are two topic sen-
tences. The other sentences are supporting sentences. Not all police duties are dangerous. Some duties, Circle
the two topic sentences. Then write the numbers like writing reports, have no risk at all. Others, like of the
supporting sentences that go with each topic traffi c duty, put police offi cers at very little risk. Still sentence.
other duties, like investigating accidents, leave offi - cers free of danger.
1. Finally, there is a concierge on duty 24 hours a day.
Tenants of the luxury apartment building enjoy
2. Some duties, like writing reports, have no risk at many amenities. For example, there is a pool on the all.
top fl oor. In addition, the lobby has a dry cleaner, an
ATM, and a coffee shop. Finally, there is a concierge
3. For example, there is a pool on the top fl oor. on duty 24 hours a day.
4. Not all police duties are dangerous. You might have noticed that the supporting sen-
tences in the fi rst paragraph about police duties begin
5. Others, like traffi c duty, put police offi cers at very with the following words: some, others, and still other.
little risk. These words are often used to introduce examples. The second paragraph uses different words, but
they have 6. Tenants of the luxury apartment building enjoy the same function: for example, in addition, and fi
nally. many amenities. If a sentence begins with such a word or phrase, that is
a good indication it is not a topic sentence—because it
7. Still other duties, like investigating accidents,
is providing a specifi c example.
leave offi cers free of danger.
Here are some words and phrases often used to
8. In addition, the lobby has a dry cleaner, an ATM, introduce specifi c examples: and a coffee shop.
for example in particular Sentences 4
and 6 are the two topic sentences for instance some because both make an assertion about a general
subject. in addition others The supporting sentences for topic sentence 4, “Not all furthermore
police duties are dangerous,” are sentences 2, 5, and 7.
The supporting sentences for topic sentence 6, “Tenants
If you’re having trouble fi nding the main idea of
of the luxury apartment building enjoy many amenia paragraph, you might try eliminating the sentences
ties,” are the remaining sentences 1, 3, and 8. that you know contain supporting evidence. lOMoAR cPSD| 58562220 30
–FINDING THE MAIN IDEA– lOMoAR cPSD| 58562220
–FINDING THE MAIN IDEA– Summary
Now you can answer the last question—t he why. What is TIP
the writer’s motive? What’s the main idea he or she wants To identify the main idea in a story it can be helpful
to convey? By fi nding the sentence that makes an to create a story map or graphic organizer. In separate
assertion about the subject of the paragraph and that boxes in your graphic organizer, you should
encompasses the other sentences in the paragraph, you include
can uncover the author’s m otive.
■ the names of major and minor characters.
■ major and minor settings. confl icts occurring
■ between characters. key events. major ■ resolutions.
■ author’s purpose. (Is the author’s goal to
■ entertain, teach, inform, or persuade readers to embrace a particular
philosophical viewpoint or concept?)